Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Jack Lingo, REALTOR® has sought to celebrate those individuals working hard to keep our community safe and lead Sussex County to collective recovery. For this reason, our company launched our "Local Heroes" campaign, whereby the public could nominate individuals whom they judged deserving of special recognition during this difficult time. We received several nominations and will be highlighting many local heroes over the coming weeks. Keep reading to learn more about our third local hero, Sarah Brozdonis!
Sarah Brozdonis, a nutrition aide at Beebe Hospital in Lewes, has not missed a day's work during the COVID-19 pandemic. Working primarily on the tray line, she strives daily to ensure the proper nutrition of the hospital's patients. She maintains, "If we don't work, people don't eat." Sarah is currently attending school in the evenings to become a certified medical assistant. We are thrilled to honor her as one of our valuable local heroes!
We interviewed Sarah to learn all about her experiences working during this difficult time!
What is the biggest challenge you have encountered during the COVID-19 pandemic?
The biggest challenge during COVID-19 is staying safe in an ever-changing situation. None of us have experienced this before and many times things are day to day, as new policies and procedures have to be made and implemented during the pandemic. Even in the dietary department, we have to take precautions, wear masks, clean and sanitize even more than we normally do, etc. Sometimes just getting supplies has been hard. I consider myself very fortunate to have been working throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, to still have a job and a source of income...yet keeping myself and the people that I care about safe is also very important. During this time of working full time in a pandemic, I maintain contact with family, seeing them for brief periods of time, when safe, sending care packages of food items/paper goods/other supplies to them when possible; my school classes transitioned to meeting via Zoom, etc...I'm sure everyone else has also had changes to their day to day lives and activities, all with the same goal of keeping everyone safe.
What silver linings have you been able to find during the pandemic?
The biggest silver lining to the COVID-19 pandemic is seeing just how much people come together. People have had to come up with new ways of meeting, keeping in contact, even hanging out. People and communities have had to come up with new and creative ways to care for those in need. People go above and beyond to help those in need and for the most part, I feel like people are also seeing now more than ever, how much we are connected and depend on one another. Everyone knows about the amazing doctors, nurses, and surgeons at the hospital.....but more are learning about the other hard-working, dedicated people who work at hospitals, such as the environmental staff who clean not only the hospital, but the bed sheets, patient rooms, etc...as well as the dietary department that provides meals to hospital employees and the patients, all while following strict food safety procedures, transporting food safely, and keeping cafeteria/food prep areas clean and sanitized. The support of the local community has been truly amazing in expressing their appreciation for everyone working so hard during the pandemic....writing letters of support and thanks, providing meals to those in need...we are all in this together, supporting one another, and together we will make it through stronger than before.
Thank you, Sarah, for the wonderful things you are accomplishing for our community!